Let’s first talk about what commonly goes wrong in a meeting. Think about ineffective meetings you have attended……What went wrong?
They take too long and don’t accomplish anything. The facilitator is not prepared and wasted your time. Participants that should not be there are there, or vice versa. Here’s my biggest pet peeve, the facilitator allows someone to dominate, or the facilitator does not encourage participation from all members.
How can you be sure you get the results you want from your meetings? Well, start by focusing on 4 things – content, process, inviting the right people, and creating accountability.
So, content. Make sure there is a purpose for the meeting. People will be more focused and come ready to work if there is a real purpose. And be prepared. Write an agenda which is more than just headlines on a page. It’s not a bullet that says discuss new work hours. Add specifics:
Discuss new work hours
- Week-end coverage
- Flex-time
- On-call process
That really gets people thinking about what you want to discuss. And of course, know your material and present the content in an organized fashion.
Next is your Process. Maintain good but not rigid control of the meeting, allocate a specific amount of time to each agenda item, and please redirect difficult people. Don’t let them take over. If there is someone who keeps interrupting with useless or arrogant remarks, take it to the group for processing. Ask, “Does anyone else feel that way?” Control the discussion only insofar as it does not become disrespectful or disruptive. The group will naturally modify an answer. If a problem is a real problem, it’s good that it came up and you should address it. But if it doesn’t reflect the general opinion, the group will put pressure on the member who made the comment. And that’s ok. It’s actually more effective coming from them
If it’s always the same person who de-rails you, consider speaking to them in advance – give them your expectations. “I’ve noticed at times you bring up things at a staff meeting that should really be discussed at our one to one meetings. At today’s meeting, I really want you to try to think about if your contribution is necessary for the group, or if we should discuss it in private.” Eventually, they will get the picture if you keep addressing it. And don’t get dragged into an argument at a meeting. Learn the phrase “We’re going to have to agree to disagree,” to move past those back and forth discussions that are no longer constructive.
Make sure you invite the right people – only invite those who have something to contribute. Don’t waste people’s time if they really don’t need to be there. Inviting people for training purposes is fine, but try to keep that to a minimum.
And last, but probably most important, create accountability. When the group comes up with a solution or more information is needed, create an action item including the person responsible and a timeframe for completion or follow up. And make sure that person is held accountable. That’s your job as the manager and that’s where most managers go wrong. You can have a great meeting, which had a great purpose and the process went well, and the right people were there, but if nobody follows up on what was accomplished, then all is lost. Remember, your job is not done when the meeting is over. It’s up to you to follow up on all action items and make people accountable and successful.